In order to provide suitable and operational weapon systems for the military it is necessary to test weapons in circumstances simulating conditions as close as possible to actual conditions. For example, it would be desirable to test missiles hitting actual targets. Unfortunately, the missile and target are frequently destroyed and usable laboratory data is difficult to gather.
To test missiles actually striking targets, a gas powered gun may be used to fire a missile at a target in a laboratory environment. The gas gun may be configured so as to fire the missile precisely, arriving with the same properties at the target as if it were actually fired at the target. But the acceleration of the missile leaving the gas gun is significantly higher than accelerations experienced by the missile in actual flight, frequently causing a premature detonation of the missile or a failure of the missile to detonate. In addition, the deceleration of the missile after leaving the gas gun may also cause a premature detonation of the missile. Therefore, there is a need for a replacement nose assembly for experimental use to allow the missile to strike a target without premature detonation and thus allow the collection of valid and useful laboratory data.